I'll Look After You, My Little Pip
by TheHornyVirgin
Summary: This is my version of Merry and Pippin being trapped and tortured at Isengard. I thank all those who wrote stories about this because they give me my inspiration for it. Rated for lots of blood and hurt.
1. Painful Reunitement

I got the inspiration for this story from reading a few other stories in which Merry and Pippin are being held captive at Isengard. I really hope you like it. Anyway, on with the story!

Chapter 1: Painful Reunitement

It was cold and dark inside Orthanc. Pippin was in Saruman's dark, gloomy chamber, chained to the wall by shackles above his head. His feet were still touching the floor so he could at least stand normally. He and Merry had been brought to Orthanc about five days ago by a band of Saruman's Uruk-Hai.

Pippin shifted, trying to get into a more comfortable position. He whinced and jumped as he wounds came into contact with the cold stone wall. He was covered in bloody whiplashes, bruises, and deep cuts. Suddenly, the large door across the room opened and a bright, white light poured in. Pippin whinced and squinted his eyes. As the light went away, Pippin saw the tall figure of Saruman standing there. As he stepped in, the door slammed shut and the room was dimly lit again. Saruman glided across the room in long strides.

"I have tried to be patient with you, Halfling, but now, my patience is wearing thin. Now, tell me, where is the Ring?!" Saruman said.

"I'll never tell you." Pippin said.

"Oh, I think you will." Saruman said as he held out his staff.

He chanted a dark enchantment and Pippin screamed in pain. It felt as if fire was running through his veins instead of blood. Just as the pain started, it stopped, leaving Pippin breathless and gasping.

"Krashnakh!" Saruman called.

A large Orc and two huge Uruk-Hai stepped inside.

"Unchain him." Saruman ordered.

They unchained him and Pippin fell to the ground, not having the strength enough to stand.

"Bring in the other prisoner." Saruman ordered.

One of the Uruks left and returned within a few minutes with another prisoner. He threw the form onto the ground and the person groaned in pain.

"Merry!" Pippin gasped as he ran to Merry.

Before he could reach him, an Orc held him back. Saruman gestured with his head and the Orcs knew what to do. They grabbed Merry up and began beating him. They kicked and punched him many times. Pippin screamed for them to stop, but they didn't listen. One of them put its deformed fingers on the side of Merry's head and ran them down the side of his head and face, leaving deep, bloody scratches behind. Merry screamed and writhed.

"Stop! You're hurting him! Stop it!" Pippin screamed...pleaded.

One of the Orcs delivered a sharp blow to Merry's head and he fell to the ground unconscious. The Orc that was holding Pippin let him go and he fell on his knees beside Merry. He took him into his arms, tears spilling down his dirtied cheeks.

"Merry? Oh, Merry, can you hear me?" Pippin asked through tears.

Merry made no response.

"Take them to the dungeon!" Saruman ordered.


	2. Hurt and Comfort

Chapter 2: Hurt and Comfort

Merry slowly came around and he opened his eyes. He looked around and saw that he was in a cold, dark dungeon. Pippin was nowhere in sight. Merry shuddered at the thought of where Pippin might be. The Uruks were probably torturing him for information on the whereabouts of the Ring and who was the one who bore it. He suddenly hard a very loud scream of pain. He knew without a doubt that it was Pippin. He heard the scream again. He knew that he would never be able to get those desperate screams of pain and suffering out of his head for as long as he lived. It hurt his heart to hear or see Pippin in any kind of pain, emotional or physical.

Just then, the large door of the room opened and a body was thrown in. Merry crawled over to the body and turned it over. He froze as he saw the condition that Pippin was in. He was covered in a fresh layer of wounds. There was a deep cut on the side of his face that bled fairly bad. There were new deep whip marks all over him and there were many new bruises that decorated his abdomen and chest. There was a strange look to Pippin's skinny chest. It looked slightly deformed, as if it had been twisted in some cruel way. Merry gently felt in various places on Pippin's chest and he could feel several broken ribs. He just hoped that one of them hadn't punctured a lung. He suddenly noticed something that made his blood run cold. There was a deep gash on Pippin's side and the flesh inside the wound had a black look to it.

"Poison..." Merry whispered in fear.

He also noticed that Pippin had become much more skinnier than before they came here. He counted up in his head and he realized that Pippin hadn't eaten anything in over eight or nine days! Pippin's ribs and pelvis were beginning to poke out from starvation. He also felt much lighter, too. Just then Pippin moaned.

"What...no...Merry, help me...!" he said franticly, not knowing what was happening.

"Shhh, shhh, it's okay, it's okay. It's me. I'm here." Merry said softly, trying to calm Pippin.

Pippin's eyes snapped open and fear and pain wrought his features.

"Merry..." his voice trailed off as he began to cry.

Merry pulled Pippin's tiny body close to his chest, gently cradling him as if he were a small child. Pippin didn't understand how cruel the world really was. He had faced more perils in just a little over a week than any person should ever face in a lifetime. He rubbed Pippin's back soothingly, trying to comfort him.

"I'm here. I promise I'll look after you, My Little Pip." Merry said softly.


	3. Memories

Chapter 3: Memories

Merry and Pippin lay huddled in the dark, cold dungeon. Pippin had since awoke and had been in great pain for a long time. Merry had held him in his arms, trying to comfort him as best he could. He had set an old, wooden bowl he had found in the corner where a little bit of water was dripping in so there would be water for Pippin if he needed it.

"Merry, I-I'm scared." Pippin whimpered.

"I know, Pip. I am, too." Merry said.

Pippin sighed and leaned his head against Merry's chest and closed his eyes. Merry layed his cheek on top of Pippin's curly head, fondly recalling memories in their childhood.

FLASHBACK

_Everyone was excited around Brandy Hall. Today, Gandalf was coming for a visit. It was his first visit since Pippin had been born. He hadn't even got to seen Little Pippin yet. As Gandalf's wagon wheeled into the 'driveway', Merry, who had been sitting at the window watching for him, ran into the kitchen where his mother Esmarelda was fixing lunch._

_"Mama, he's here! He's here!" Merry said excitedly._

_"Well, don't just stand there, go to the door." Esmarelda said while stirring a pot of stew._

_Merry ran to the door and ran down the steps to Gandalf, who had just gotten out of his cart._

_"Gandalf, it's so good to see you!" Merry said as he gave Gandalf a huge hug._

_Gandalf laughed and bent down to pick up the young Hobbit lad. He had always had a soft spot inside for little Hobbit children. He didn't know why, but he loved them._

_"I do believe you've been up to your old mischief, as always?" Gandalf asked._

_"A little, but Gandalf, something wonderful has happened." Merry said, wide-eyed._

_"And what would this wonderful something be?" Gandalf asked._

_"I have a new baby cousin!" Merry said._

_"Well, that is something, isn't it?" Gandalf said, walking up the steps of Brandy Hall._

_"Good afternoon, Gandalf. It's good to see you again." Esmarelda said as she walked out of the kitchen to greet the old wizard._

_"It's good to see you, too, Esmarelda." Gandalf said politely, "Where's old Saradoc?"_

_"He had to go out for a while, but he should be back soon." Esmarelda said, "Oh, sit down, make yourself comfortable. You must be dreadfully tired from that long ride over here."_

_Gandalf sat down on the small Hobbit couch opposite from the fireplace._

_"Now, young Meriadoc, let's see this new cousin of yours." he said._

_Merry nodded and jumped down out of Gandalf's lap. He ran into his room and returned in a few seconds, carrying a little baby in his arms. Gandalf smiled and gently took the baby into his arms._

_"His name is Pippin." Merry said._

_Pippin opened his eyes and looked at the old wizard. He smiled and reached up to play with Gandalf's long, gray beard. Both Gandalf and Merry laughed at this._

END FLASHBACK

Merry sighed and wondered if things would ever be like that again...quiet, peaceful, no war.


	4. Emotional Torture

Sorry it took so long to update. I'm hoping you'll like this new idea for this story. After watching Silent Hill, I had an epiphany: make the two movies sort of 'coincide', in a matter of speaking. Anyway, on with the chapter!

Chapter 4: Emotional Torture

Merry jumped awake as the door to the dungeon opened. A large Uruk stepped inside and yanked him to his feet, leaving Pippin behind. Merry was taken to Saruman's chamber and thrown down onto the cold, stone floor. Merry shakily stood up and saw Saruman sitting on his black throne.

"What do you want of me?" Merry asked.

"I merely want you to tell me the whereabouts of the Ring." Saruman said.

"Then you're wasting your breath, I would rather die than tell you." Merry spat.

"Oh, I've heard that story a million times before...but you'll find that I have a way of getting what I want out of my prisoners." Saruman said.

Saruman stood up and pointed his staff at Merry. He closed his eyes and chanted a spell in a low, mysterious voice. Merry suddenly found himself spiraling through space and time...falling...and finally landing. He hit the ground and groaned as he did so. He stood up and found himself in a strange place. He was in what looked like an old, abandoned school-house. Everything was dark, but he could see. He was in what looked like the front hall of the school. All the walls were made of wood and they were rotting and decaying. Everything seemed to have a blackish-red tint to it.

Merry suddenly heard Saruman's voice echoing through the air: "Find your little friend in the right amount of time, or you'll both suffer a thousand deaths."

Reality suddenly hit Merry like a speeding bullet: Pippin was somewhere in the harsh, cruel world that Saruman had devised as some sort of torture contraption. He began running down the hallway, he turned when he saw a small room that housed a tall stairway leading up to several other floors of the school-house. He climbed the stairs and found himself in another long hallway. He sprinted down the hallway to a room at the end, something inside his mind was telling him to go there. He cautiously opened the door and stepped inside. It was an old bathroom. Just like the front hallway, it was decaying and had a foul smell to it. He slowly stepped toward to first wood-walled stall and pushed the door open, he saw nothing. He went to the next one, nothing. He looked in each of them and found nothing...until he came to the last one. He pushed open the door and what he saw made his blood run cold.

The skinny body of Pippin was hanging there, bound in cruel chains of rusty barbed wire. The sharp barbed wire was tightly wrapped around his arms, legs, torso, and neck. Blood oozed from the harsh wounds left by the barbed wire. Merry gasped and fought the urge to scream. After getting himself back together again, he rushed forward and reached out to free his dear little cousin, but when he tried to touch him, his hand went right through Pippin like he was a ghost. Merry was disturbed by this and he tried to touch him again, but he went right through him. Merry yelled in fear, what was happening to them?

Although Merry hated to leave Pippin, he thought this was probably a hallucination. He ran out of the room and ran down the stairs to the front hallway. As he tried to catch his breath, he heard what sounded like a loud, Orcish horn blowing. He looked around to see where it was coming from, but it seemed to be coming from all directions. As the echo of the horn faded away, something very strange happened. The floor, walls, everything started to sort of flake apart and the pieces float up into the air. Everything started to grow dark and cold. Merry yelled in fear and ran out of the school house.

He saw what looked like and old, abandoned ghost-town. All of the buildings were made of old, rotting wood. The whole town was flaking away and the flakes rising up into the air. Merry was terrified and he didn't know what to do. He merely froze and all grew dark. He fell to the ground and drifted off into a world of feverish, dark dreams...

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A/N: I hope you liked it. PLEASE R&R!!!!!!!!!!!! I really want to know what you think about it. I will update as soon as I can.


	5. Cleaving Flesh From Bone

Thank you soooooooooo much for the good reviews!! I promise to continue to do my best on this story.

Chapter 5: Cleaving Flesh From Bone

Merry groaned and opened his eyes. He was still laying in the street of the ghost-town. The sky was very cloudy, but a pale, white light peeped through the clouds. The ground was covered in a whitish-grey material. It was also slowly falling from the sky like snow, but it wasn't snow. Merry stood up and looked at this white-grey material in wonder. He reached down and got a little bit from the ground and smeared it between his fingers. It didn't melt like snow, but it smudged across his skin and left a dirty streak.

"Ash." Merry whispered.

Why would ash be falling from the sky? He would worry about that later, right now he had to find Pippin. Suddenly, a cry rent through the air. He knew it was Pippin, he could recognize that cry anywhere. It sounded like it was coming from up the street. He ran towards the cry and it gradually got louder. As he neared the cries, he could make out a vague outline of a huge creature attacking something smaller. He got closer and he saw the this huge creature was attacking Pippin. The creature resembled an Uruk-Hai, but it wasn't exactly and Uruk.

The creature picked Pippin up and threw him down on the ground and stalked upon him again. The creature then picked Pippin up by the neck and held him at an arm's length away. Pippin was screaming for help and in pain. He was struggling for all he was worth to try to get free, but he couldn't. As all of this was happening, Merry couldn't go any faster. He was running, but the horrific scene didn't seem to get any closer. He was stuck in this spot, watching the attack from a distance. What the creature did next, speared Merry to his heart.

The creature sank its long claws into Pippin's bare chest and ripped his skin from his flesh. Blood splattered everywhere, including all over Merry and seemed to paint the white ground. The ruthless creature threw the blood-covered little body of Pippin aside and turned to advance on Merry. Merry screamed in fear and ran as fast as his short legs would carry him away from this terrible creature. He found safety in a dark, damp ally between two buildings. He sat down and leaned against the wall of a building with his knees drawn up to his chest, crying and shivering. What he saw that creature do wold haunt his for the rest of his life.

Suddenly, the loud, Orcish horn echoed through the air again. Everything flaked away and grew dark again. Merry once again fell to the ground, unconscious.

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A/N: I know, short chapter, but I want to build up the suspense. Remember, alot can happen in a short chapter. If any of you who read this story have ever watched Silent Hill, you'll know how the surroundings are supposed to look, I'm not too good at explaining how they look, but I try my best. If you review this story, please let me know if you've ever watched Silent Hill, it'll sort of put my mind to rest knowing that you know what I'm talking about in here. If you haven't watched it, you definately need to, it is AWSOMELY AWSOMENESS!!!!!


	6. The Devil's Playground

Chapter 6: The Devil's Playground

Merry slowly became aware of his surroundings as he came into consciousness. He was still in the dark ally in which he had took refuge in earlier. He stood up and the white-grey ash was still falling from the sky. He walked out of the ally and looked around. The ghost-town was still the same as it was before he'd gone into that ally. Suddenly, a ghostly form appeared before him. It was the form of Saruman. Merry could see through him like a ghost.

"Had enough?" Saruman asked, referring to Merry having enough emotional torture.

"Why are you doing this?" Merry asked, "Why?"

"It will continue until you either find your friend or you surrender." Saruman answered.

"You're gonna make me go through this a thousand times...make me see him die a thousand ways." Merry said, "Please stop it and let us go free."

"Not until you tell me where the Ring is." Saruman said as he slowly disappeared.

A sense of dread came over Merry, this had to stop. He had to find Pippin one way or another. He walked down the street, wondering which building Pippin would be in. As he walked, he seemed to be drawn to an old, rugged inn on the corner. It was the biggest inn he'd ever seen. He entered into the inn and it was no different that the other buildings: rotting, dark, and everything seemed to have a blackish-red tint to it. The lobby of the inn also doubled as a tavern. It had a bar and tables and chairs, much like the Prancing Pony in Bree.

He walked behind the bar and on the wall were several small boxes that housed the keys to each of the rooms. All of them were empty...except one. The box for room number 111 had a folded piece of paper inside it. He took the paper out and unfolded it. It was a picture drawn by hand. It looked as if it had been drawn by a child or someone very young. It was a picture of someone being hanged. It looked as if after it had been drawn, someone had taken a pencil and scribbled black and red marks all over it. Merry was somewhat confused by this, but he knew it probably had to be there for a reason. He though for a minute, trying yo put the pieces of this cruel puzzle together.

It suddenly hit him: He had to go to room 111. He folded the picture back up and took it with him as he raced up the stairs to find room 111. When he reached he floor that had the rooms in the 100's on it, he slowed down, so as not to miss the room he supposed to go in. He rounded a corner and to his left was room 108, then 109, then 110, then...112. Where was room 111? Merry was stumped and he looked at the rooms he'd just passed one by one. Where room 111 should have been was only a large picture...of someone being hanged. Merry quickly unfolded the picture he'd found down stairs and it matched the picture on the wall, only the picture on the wall seemed to have been drawn by an adult very gifted with artistic abilities.

Merry walked up to the picture on the wall. He brought his fist back and punched through the picture and his fist didn't hit a wall or anything. He tore the picture away and he found himself unable to scream at what he saw. Pippin was hanging there by his neck, limp and lifeless. Only, it wasn't rope that was around his neck, it was old, rusty barbed wire. Blood oozed from the cruel wounds inflicted by the barbed wire. Merry fell backwards and was gasping at the sight before him. Just as he was about to get up, the horrible sight disappeared like a ghost fading away. Merry saw that there wasn't a room where there should be one, there was a gap about two or three feet wide and he saw what he thought was a doorless doorway leading into the next building. He stood up and jumped the gap and went into the next building...


	7. Found

Hi, sorry it took so long to update, I've just been trying to figure out the right way to word this chapter.

Chapter 7: Found

Merry walked through the building, slowly and allert to any sound or movement. The building was dark and gloomy, but a few large windows provided some light. Setting all around were large, wooden bins with scraps of metal and old, dented armor in them. Along the walls, within three or four feet of the floor, were what looked like forges. Merry guessed this building to be some sort of old armory. Everything was covered with white-grey ashes like outside. As Merry walked, his keen ears picked up a very faint noise. It sounded like someone crying from a great distance away. Merry followed the crying, prepared for anything he would find. He followed the crying until it led him to a separate room.

This room had a couple of the same wooden bins as the other room ad one small forge made into the wall. Also, like the other room, everything was covered in the ashes. It also had one large window that let in some dim light. In front of Merry and to his right a little bit was a large hole in the floor. He walked over to it and looked inside. The hole was so deep he couldn't see the bottom of it. In this room, the crying was louder than it had been in the other room. Merry looked up and saw a faint outline of something on the other side of the hole. That's where the crying seemed to come from. Merry grabbed a thick rope hanging over the hole and swung across with relative ease. When he landed on the other side, he cautiously approached the figure in the corner. As he got closer, he saw that it was a person. The person was stripped of all his clothes and fitted with a tattered loin cloth. The person also had his back to Merry, he was sitting on his knees, and had his arms wrapped around himself. His back was absolutely covered in bloody cuts, whip-lashes, and bruises. Then, Merry noticed something: This person had a curly mop of chocolate-brown hair like Pippin, and when he listened closely, Merry could tell that this person sounded alot like Pippin when he cried.

"Pippin." Merry said to get his attention.

The person didn't answer, he just sat there, crying. Merry slowly walked over and knelt down next to the person. He timidly reached out with his hand and touched the person's shoulder. The person whimpered and moved away qucikly, as if the lightest touch would make him fall to pieces.

"Pippin, it's me. It's Merry. I'm not gonna hurt you." Merry said softly.

The person turned around and looked at Merry, and Merry's blood turned to ice. It was indeed Pippin. Merry felt his breath catch in his throat as he looked at Pippin. There seemed to be no part of the young Took's body that was not harmed. He was covered in cuts, gashes, whip-lashes, bruises, and blood. His eyes were very bloodshot as if he had been crying for eternity, his lips were cut and bleeding a bit, and his hair was matted and stained with blood. Tears streamed down his bloodied cheeks.

"O-oh, Pippin..." Merry gasped when he found his voice.

"M-Merry, i-is that y-you?" Pippin asked shakily.

"Yes, Pip, it's me." Merry answered.

Pippin once again broke down into tears and fell into Merry's arms, holding onto him tightly. Merry gently held Pippin in his arms, slowly rocking back and forth, trying to comfort the distraught little Hobbit.

"Shhhh, shhhh, it's okay. I'm here. I won't let them hurt you any more." Merry whispered.

Merry knew that after such a traumatic experience, Pippin might not ever be able to recover. He might not ever be the same again. Merry did not want the joy that Pippin held in life to be taken away from him. He wanted Pippin to be able to laugh and smile again, but now that Saruman had abused him so terribly, that might not ever be possible.

As Merry and Pippin sat there, they heard a loud, booming voice echo through the air saying: "It's time to come back, little ones!" They suddenly found themselves falling through space and time, their surroundings flying by in a blur...


	8. Renewed Hope

Chapter 8: Renewed Hope

Merry and Pippin landed with a hard thud on a cold, stone floor. Merry sat up and looked around and he saw that they were once again in Sarumans's throne room. Just then, Merry saw Saruman appear in the doorway and approach them. Merry scrambled to Pippin, who was laying deathly still on the floor in front of him, and held him protectively to his chest.

"Are you ready to cooperate now, little Halfling?" Saruman asked.

"Never." Merry said from behind clenched teeth.

"Krashnakh!" Saruman called.

Within a few seconds, an Orc came scuttling into the room.

"Yes, milord?" the Orc asked.

"Take the smaller one away." Saruman said, motioning to the two Hobbits before him.

Krashnakh scuttled over to Merry and Pippin and grabbed Pippin's limp body away from Merry.

"No! Don't take him! What more do you want with us?!" Merry cried.

Just as Saruman was about to answer, another Orc came running into the room.

"Milord, we're under attack!" the Orc said.

"What do you mean?!" Saruman asked as he ran to the small balcony overlooking the grounds of Isengard.

He saw many Ents reeking havoc among his Orcs, tearing down his wooden towers, and howling like some wild beast. He watched this happening for several minutes until one of the Ents broke the dam that held back the River Isen, which in doing so, flooded Isengard. When the water settled and things quietened down a bit, Saruman saw six horses and riders ride into the shallowly flooded grounds of what was once Isengard. One of the riders was upon a white horse, and was arrayed completely in white. Saruman recognized this person immidiately to be Gandalf. Saruman turned to Merry and pointed at him.

"Halfling, come here. It seems we have some uninvited guests." he said.

Merry cautiously creeped towards Saruman and looked over the side of the balcony. His face lit up when he saw who it was: It was Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf, and three others he had never seen before; they looked like they were from Rohan.

"They've come to rescue us." Merry whispered.

"Krashnakh!" Saruman called.

The same Orc that had taken Pippin scuttled back into the room. Saruman whispered something in the Orc's ear and the Orc immidiately grabbed Merry and carried him off to some unknown part of Orthanc...

A/N: (in a mysterious, low voice): "Ooooooo, what's gonna happen?" You'll find out in the next chappy! Please R&R!


	9. Rescued

Merrythehobbit, I'm glad you're so anxious for me to update. That gives me motivation.

Chapter 9: Rescued

"Saruman, where are the Halflings?!" Gandlaf bellowed up to Saruman, who was still standing on the balcony of Orthanc.

"You will see." Saruman bellowed down.

As he said that, two Orcs started tossing many wooden barrels out one of the large windows.

"Find the right barrel in the right amount of time, or you will never see your precious friends alive again." Saruman yelled.

"Legolas, the Hobbits are in one of those barrels! Quick, help me look!" Aragorn said as he jumped off his horse, Legolas not a step behind him.

There were at least fourty or fifty barrels floating in the water and Aragorn and Legolas searched franticly for the Hobbits. If they did not find them in time, they could either suffocate or drown from water seeping through the cracks in the wood. As Aragorn yanked up another barrel, he notcied that this one was heavier than the others. He quickly yanked the lid off and peered inside.

"Aragorn!" Merry rejoiced, reaching upwards and being pulled out of the barrel.

"Oh, Merry..." Aragorn said, bringing the small Hobbit into an embrace.

Merry was covered in several bruises and cuts, but it was nothing too serious. Eventhough Merry wasn't badly hurt, Aragorn was still enraged at Saruman and his Orcs. Aragorn had grown very close to the Hobbits on their journey, and he felt like the were sons to him.

"Aragorn, you have to find Pippin. He was hurt so bad, I-I think he may be dying." Merry said, starting to cry.

"Don't worry, Merry, we'll find him." Aragorn said, carrying Merry over to where Gimli was on the horse he and Legolas shared.

"Gimli, take Merry back to the campsite." he said, handing Merry up to Gimli gently.

"Aragorn, please find Pippin for me." Merry pleaded.

"We will, Merry, we will." Aragorn reassured him.

As Gimli rode off with Merry, Aragorn went back to searching the barrels with Legolas.

"Was he hurt?" Legolas asked.

"A few bruises and cuts, but nothing serious, but he said that Pippin was hurt very badly. He may be dying. We have to find him quickly." Aragorn said.

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They were down to less than ten barrels and still they hadn't found Pippin. Aragorn yanked the lid off another barrel and threw it aside as he groaned loudly in anger.

"Aragorn, over here!" Legolas called.

Aragorn ran as fast as he could through the waist-deep water over to Legolas, who was now holding the limp body of Pippin. Aragorn gasped as he saw the terrible condition the tiny Hibbit was in. He could see no rise no fall of his chest. Aragorn pressed his fingers to Pippin's throat, feeling for a heartbeat, but he felt none...

A/N: I owe all the credit to Rivan Worrioress for giving me the inspiration for Saruman puting Merry and Pippin into barrels for Aragorn and Legolas to find them. Rivan Worrioress used that part in her story, "Trapped at Isengard" if you would like to read it.


	10. Bring Me to Life

Dum-du-du-dum-du-du-dum, here's the next chapter! Sorry for the cliffy in the previous chapter.

Chapter 10: Bring Me to Life

Aragorn's knees almost collapsed underneath him when he didn't feel Pippin's heart beating. He quickly felt again...and again...and again...but nothing. On the brink of tears, Aragorn felt one more time...nothing...but wait, what was that? He felt again and sure enough, there it was: A very weak heartbeat. The tiny Hobbit was alive, if only just.

"Quickly, we have to get him back to the campsite." Aragorn said, taking Pippin into his arms.

He and Legolas ran over to their horses. Legolas had to ride with Galndalf because Gimli had rode off on his horse. Aragorn mounted his horse and wrapped his Elvish cloak around Pippin's cold, limp body. When Pippin felt the Ranger's warm body against his, he weakly moaned and peeped open his eyes.

"A-Aragorn?" he asked weakly.

"It's okay, little one, you're safe now." Aragorn said.

"Why is everything so dark? I can barely see." Pippin asked.

Aragorn shuddered to think of why Pippin couldn't see.

"Just hold on, you'll be safe and warm in no time." Aragorn said as he, Legolas, and Gandalf started out for the campsite.

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Aragorn carried Pippin into the clearing where they had their camp set up. He layed Pippin on his bedroll, which had been layed out for him. Pippin moaned as Aragorn layed him down, but he did not wake. Merry was by Pippin's side in an instant, holding his hand. Aragorn wet a rag and went to cleaning Pippin's numerous wounds. When he was done, Pippin looked better than he did because most of the blood was off him, but he still looked very bad. After cleaning and bandaging Pippin's wounds, Aragorn re-wet the rag and went to cleaning Pippin's eyes. He held the wet rag over Pippin's right eye, gently squeezing the cool water over it as he applied gentle pressure to the bruised, swollen eye. Pippin moaned and whimpered.

"Merry...no...Merry, help..." he muttered.

"I'm right here, Pip." he said, fear for his little cousin in his voice.

Eyes still closed, Pippin said, "My eyes...who's hurting me?"

"No one's _trying_ to hurt you, but Aragorn's cleaning your eyes." Merry said.

After carefully cleaning both eyes, Aragorn said, "Open your eyes."

Pippin open his eyes and looked around,

"Can you see?" Aragorn asked.

"Yes, but everything's so blurry. I can make out shapes and colors, but not much more than that." Pippin answered.

After carefully examining Pippin's eyes and testing his vision, Aragorn concluded that Pippin's vision would go back to normal in a couple weeks, but he wasn't too sure about Pippin's other injuries, though...


	11. Small Comforts

Hi, sorry it took so long to update. I've been busy lately.

Chapter 11: Small Comforts

By the next morning, the poison had started to take hold of Pippin. A horrible fever raged inside him, making him weak and his skin was pale and ashen. If it weren't for his painful, ragged breathing, anyone else would have thought he was dead.

Merry stayed glued to Pippin's side the whole time, never once leaving him. It all seemed so wrong for someone as kind and sweet and gentle and innocent as Pippin to be hurt in any way. It was all happening too fast and Merry didn't understand.

Pippin lay on his side, curled up in a little ball, whimpering and crying. His stomach hurt so much, he fought the urdge to cry out in agony. He had also threw up several times, which made his throat very sore.

"Merry...please help me. Please...make the pain stop." Pippin said between cries.

"Oh, Pip...I-I wish I could. I'd give anything in the world for you to get better." Merry said, gently running a shaky hand through Pippin's sweaty curls.

Merry just felt so helpless...all the comfort in the world wouldn't make Pippin better.

"M-Merry, will you hold me?" Pippin asked, he knew he sounded like a little child, but he needed comfort.

"Of course." Merry said, gently and carefully taking Pippin's tiny body into his arms.

Merry layed a gently kiss on Pippin's forehead, wincing at how hot the skin was against his lips.

"I want to go home." Pippin said.

"So do I, Pip. Don't worry, we will see the Shire again...I promise you." Merry said.

Pippin gave a great big yawn and slowly fell asleep in Merry's arms. He knew off all the places in Middle-Earth, the safest place for him was his Merry's gentle arms.

--

Later on that night, everyone was asleep, save for Gandalf, who had agreed to stay up and keep the fire going and to watch Pippin. As he started to drift off into his own thoughts, he heard a whimper. He looked over to where Pippin lay and saw that he was whimpering and moaning and blindly struggling against his blanket. Gandalf rushed over and gently shook the Hobbit.

"Pippin. Pippin, wake up." he said.

Pippin gasped and woke up, fear etched in his features. Seeing the Hobbit's fear, Gandalf gently took him into his arms to comfort him.

"It was a bad dream." Pippin whispered.

Gandalf nodded his head and wrapped Pippin in his blanket and walked back over to the fire with Pippin still in his arms.

"Sleep easy now, little one." Gandalf said gently.

Pippin was back asleep in now time. The flicker of the flames danced playfully across Pippin's young face. Gandalf's heart went out to the tiny Hobbit resting in his arms. His pale little face was marked with cuts and bruises and his breathing was labored, but even through that, he looked so peaceful. Gandalf smiled and gently ran his hand down the side of Pippin's face. A soft rumble noise escaped Pippin's throat as if to say 'thank you'. Pippin was resting safely and peacefully for the first time in so long.


End file.
